The Institute of the Motor Industry has offered its support to the Federation of Awarding Bodies after it was revealed that the organisation is to launch a judicial review against the government’s T-level plans.

It was revealed this morning that FAB has formally written to the Department for Education and the Institute for Apprenticeships (IfA), proposing a legal challenge to the government’s flagship technical education reforms. A pre-action protocol letter - the first stage in initiating a judicial review - was sent yesterday. If no agreement is reached, the case could end up going before the High Court.

‘Disastrous for UK economy’

Steve Nash, chief executive at the IMI - the professional body for those working in the retail motor industry - said the government’s proposed single-provider model could “spell the end of many awarding organisations currently serving the training sector”.

“Crucially, without the full support of training providers and key influencers, the current timescales and objectives for the T levels will not be achieved,” he added. “The IMI fear is that the future of technical education could be jeopardised if immediate action isn’t taken and, with an ever-widening skills gap in the automotive sector, this could be disastrous for the UK economy.

“Technical education requires the government to produce a policy that can sustain the changing economy. The DfE and IfA must begin working with stakeholders, like employers and learners, if they are to gather professional intelligence that could prevent the same mistakes that led to the 14-19 Diplomas being scrapped five years after launching.”